They'd had to figure out logistics with the Walkers acting as Elders now. Instead of moving into their old homes, they'd decided to open the homes to the pack, letting them decide how best to utilize the extra space.
Not even Delia would see her home ever again. When the evidence came forward that she'd at least had a hand in Alpha Walker's death, the scales had finally tipped so far not even she could wiggle out of trouble. Apparently, having a hand in murdering an Alpha brought a swifter judgment than selling a blessed mate. The council had returned with a sentence that would keep Delia Walker in shifter prison for the rest of her life.
There'd been plenty of celebrating in the month that followed, but all of it bittersweet. No one wanted things to turn out how they had, but in the end, it was clear that the ex-Elders would never stop. Even if they'd left peacefully this time, they would've been back, again and again.
Aver clamped his hand on my butt, waving to the others with his free hand as he kept me in place. Branson howled while Nash made annoying kissing sounds. I'd have to trust Riley and Phin would make them pay. But I wouldn't be there to see it. Aver carried me around the house, taking a right toward the forest.
"Let me down, Aver!" I squealed, though my heart wasn't in it.
"I will, pet." He massaged one cheek, squeezing generous handfuls of flesh as his chest rumbled with a noise that wasn't quite a growl. It sounded more like a hum…or purr. But wolves didn't purr.
I didn't think they did.
"We don't have time to diddle in the forest. We'll never get a picture for the Christmas cards now."
"Christmas is months away," Aver countered. "But my cock is hard now."
I twisted my upper half around, looking both directions to make sure no one had been around to hear that. The house blocked the others from view. I'd just have to hope it muffled the sounds as well. I didn't care if the guys heard him but would be mortified if Nana had. Maybe her spirits had already told her. I shuddered at the thought.
"Your cock, your cock. Were you always this demanding?" I pinched his butt—the only part of him within easy reach.
"Yes," he replied without remorse.
"Well, you won't be happy with what I do to your cock unless you let me down right now!" We both knew there was no fire to my threat, which was why it wasn't surprising when Aver refused to obey.
"That's impossible. I love everything you do with my cock."
The light dimmed as Aver stepped into the forest. He kept me hauled over his shoulder like a Viking carting his plunder.
If I were Phin, I might have been able to do a ninja leap from his shoulder, shifting in the sky with a triple somersault, but I was still trying to master running without hitting trees. Aver lifted me from my perch, letting my weight slide down his front, where he cupped my butt just as he had when he'd carried me.
"Is it so wrong that I wanted a little alone time with my pet?" He buried his face against my neck, kissing the skin so softly goosebumps popped up on my arms.
I giggled, the kisses so soft they tickled. "No, we just need to work on your subtlety. I was told you were once very diplomatic."
Aver grinned. "That's a kind word to use. Subtlety, huh? How about next time I say we need to go find wood in the forest?"
I laughed. "That isn't subtle. And a job like that wouldn't require two people."
"It does if you find big wood." Aver emphasized his meaning with two sharp pelvic thrusts forward. His hard dick prodded my stomach, flipping that switch inside me that only Aver had access to.
"Didn't I tell you?" I peered up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I'm training to be a lumberjack."
I shoved him back and spun around, hoping my sudden movement would catch him off guard. I didn't even make it three steps before he gripped his hands around my middle. He lifted my feet off the ground and hauled me deeper into the woods, stopping in a small clearing where beams of sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy.
I couldn't say which of us kissed the other first. One moment he'd been carrying me, and I'd been teasingly protesting. The next, we sank to the forest floor, rolling over the damp ground of moss and fallen nettles.
We kissed like it was our first time—or the last. We kissed like we hadn't spent the majority of our time within touching distance of one another.
With Aver, it was never enough. I always wanted more, which worked because he always had more to give me. But it still didn't feel right, leaving Autumn the moment Nana had arrived.
"We have to be fast," I whispered, straining to keep my mouth on his neck.
"Sexiest words I've ever heard," Aver teased, but in his gaze there was only desire.
Want.
Need.
I ripped his shirt open, tearing it in half down the middle of his chest. Aver growled, claiming my mouth as I skimmed my fingers over the ridges of his muscles. Every hard, aching inch of this demon was mine. And I still could hardly believe it. Not because I didn't deserve someone as perfectly sexy as he was, but because when I thought of how our relationship had started, I saw all the different choices we could have made. Any one of those choices could have stolen this moment away before I'd ever known it was possible.
"I'm going to put another baby in here." Aver cupped my stomach, touching me the same way one would a piece of fine art. The contrast of his gentle touch and rough words had my back bending to get closer.
"Promises," I whispered, knowing there was nothing that egged a Walker on better than a challenge.
And Aver was definitely a Walker. He grinned, winking before he threw me up in the air. I landed upright in his arms with a squeal and without my pants. He trapped me between his body and the tree, letting my feet swing, unable to find purchase. "Hold on, spider monkey," Aver rasped, nudging my legs open with his hips before entering me in a single driving thrust.
I couldn't even make fun of him for the cheesy line, not while my body raced to accommodate his length. There was no pain at his intrusion. The more we made love, the less time my body needed to prepare. Which was good, since Aver fucked me like a man possessed. With a hand at my nape and the other at my hip, he controlled the depth, speed, and angle.
He snarled, grabbing hold of my neck with his teeth as his hips moved like pistons, pinning me against the trunk. My head lolled back, bouncing softly against the bark with every forward thrust. My arms dropped to my sides, useless and unnecessary. I'd learned long ago: Aver was never more alpha than when we were intimate, and there wasn't much I could do but enjoy the ride.
He leaned back, pushing my shoulders against the bark so he could look into my face without me slipping. "Does my pet want to cum?" he crooned.
I didn't dare answer, afraid he'd only make me wait until tonight or tomorrow before he allowed me to orgasm. He'd already talked about making a trip into Seattle, not just to see my friends, but to get me fitted for a cock cage that I could wear for long amounts of time. The idea both horrified and thrilled me.
Without slowing down, he licked up my neck and waited for my eyes to focus.
"I asked a question," he murmured, binding me with his sultry gaze.
I'd been ready to reply with a joke, but the fire in his expression burned away the memory of what I'd been about to say. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth, nodding eagerly.